8 hour layover in Frankfurt - what to do?
 

I've got an 8 hour layover in the Frankfurt airport this March. How easy is it to exit the airport and see Frankfurt? What would you recommend we do/see? Thanks for any suggestions!

Try a quick search on this board on Frankfurt (maybe even with "layover") - there have been numerous posts on this subject.

It's incredibly easy and quick to get to Frankfurt from the airport; we always fly through Frankfurt to other destinations in Europe and make it into
town whenever we have more than 5 hours.

The train is located inside the airport, and trains to the center of town run every few minutes, cost about $5, and will get you to the center of town in about 15 minutes.

I'm not sure when it's open, but every time we've been (often in the winter or shoulder season months), there has been a sort of open-air beer garden in the center of town.

We typically just end up walking down the main streets of Sachsenhausen/ Rittergasse, drinking beer and apple wine and eating pretzles, or relaxing and stopping in cafes. (You can ask in the train station for a map and ask the person to mark this area and the old town square).

The Goethe museum is supposed to be wonderful - I'm embarrassed I haven't visited it yet on my many trips through town (too much apple wine and pretzles, perhaps!). There are several other museums, many clustered in "museum row", so you may want to read up on them to see if you'd like to stop in one while you're there.

I HAVE managed to visit St. Bartholomäus, the cathedral in which several Holy Roman Emperors were crowned.

Many people (even or especially Germans) dismiss Frankfurt, saying that it is all business and doesn't have much charm. While I would freely admit that Frankfurt may not have as much charm as other European cities, I think it's a great place to spend a day or two, and I'm sure you will enjoy it. It will certainly beat staying in the airport!

You should have enough time to get away for 5-6 hours, right? I think Mainz is a nice place to have a meal, stroll through the old town, and do a little shopping - better than Frankfurt, IMO. Mainz is only about 22 minutes and 3 Euros or so each way from the airport via S-bahn or train. If you get off the S-bahn at the Mainz Sud station instead of the Mainz central station, you can walk northeast into the old town area most easily from there; there's an attractive Dom (cathedral)in the center of things, often with an outdoor market just out front. South of the Sud station is the pretty Stadtpark, with a view of the Rhine, an aviary and arboretum, and a nice Biergarten - although I doubt the weather in March will be that accommodating.

If you want scenery and don't mind traveling more, a train ride through the Rhine goarge might be do-able. It's about 1:15 be RE train from the airport to Boppard, a route that takes you through the most attractive part of the gorge. Boppard is a smaller town, also nice for a stroll, with lots of cobblestones, attractive buildings, and a nice river promenade. You might stop in St. Goar or Bacharach if time permits too, both attractive towns.